Key events
Pakistan need 200 to win
1st over: Pakistan 2-0 (Muneeba 1, Feroza 1) No wicket off Hamilton’s first ball, so advantage Pakistan! They steal three singles. Two thirds of Headingley has now fallen into shadow but the skies is a childlike shade of blue.
And they’re already primed to go at Headingley – for the final innings at Leeds in this World Cup. Pakistan need 200 to win.
“This is an e writes Dean Kinsella, “I thought Australia might be aiming for close to 250 at one stage. Now, 200 looks good.”
I agree, they really hauled it back well. Lots of chat on comms about how these two sides compete in different worlds – the Australians professionalised over ten years ago and have a thriving WBBL. Pakistan don’t yet have a women’s competition. It’s chalk and cheese.
Time to grab a quick drink of water, back shortly.
20th over: Australia 199-7 (Carey 26, King 5 )Fatima with the last over, and she restricts Australia to five off the first three balls, but then King tucks into something loose down the leg side and hauls it for four. King then misses a hurled bouncer but unforunately so does the keeper and the ball trundles down for four byes. The last ball is another short ball in fury, which King also misses, and this time the keeper takes. Pakistan restrict the Aussies to under 200 and that’s a pretty decent fightback – albeit an imposing total.
19th over: Australia 186-7 (Carey 21, King 1 )A terrible bit of fielding as the ball shimmies through fine leg’s legs, is followed by the wicket of Molineaux. Carey wants to finish with a flourish and charges Sadia, nicking behind for four.
WICKET! Molineux b Sadia 5 (178-7)
Sadia gets the captain! Greedy for more boundaries, Molineux misses a pull and loses her middle stump.
18th over: Australia 174-6 (Carey 14, Molineaux 1 )Fatima Sana’s first ball is ramped by Perry like a pro, but she gets her revenge and sends her hero – and soon to be Birmingham Phoenix teammate – back to the dugout. Carey keeps the boundaries flowing though, dishing four through the covers.
WICKET! Perry c Muneeba Ali b Fatima Sana 71 (Australia 167-6)
A bouncer from Fatima Sana,, Perry pulls, misses, but it looks like Perry has an edge. Sue Redfern isn’t interested, but Pakistan are and review. Snicko says yes and the catch passes the test too.
17th over: Australia 163-5 (Perry 67, Carey 8 )Much better catching from Pakistan today who haven’t dropped a chance despite the pressure of an Australia constantly on the charge. Carey is no exception. Cuts four to get off the mark.Misses a reverse-sweep but does the keeper – four byes . Then Carey heels backwards, showing all her stumps and cuts handsomely for four more.
WICKET! Sutherland c Fatima b Shamim 27 (Australia 151-5)
Another cracking catch, running from long on and scooping off the grass.
16th over: Australia 151-4 (Perry 67, Sutherland 27 )Nashra’s second over. In ski-glasses she redirects her field. A hint of a run out chance as Sutherland dashed to the danger end – if Fatima had hit, she might have been in trouble. Just four from the over
15th over: Australia 147-4 (Perry 65, Sutherland 25 )Ayesha. Carefully. Just one boundary, Perry pearling one through point.
14th over: Australia 138-4 (Perry 56, Sutherland 25 )Perry has temporarily been relatively becalmed, but unfortunately for Pakistan, Sutherland is bustling like a mystery shopper – back to back boundaries off Nashra Sandhu – driving through the covers, picking out the gap at deep midwicket. They pause for more drinks.
13th over: Australia 126-4 (Perry 54, Sutherland 15 )Ayesha Zafar gets her first bowl, but Australia just keep on coming. Sutherland, twinkle toed, spanks four over cover.
12th over: Australia 119-4 (Perry 53, Sutherland 9)Sutherland not hanging around – fires four of Nashra Sandhu towards midwicket and then she and Perry keep the singles coming.
11th over: Australia 110-4 (Perry 52, Sutherland 1)Perry’s highest scores in the T20 world cup comes and goes almost without mention as Australia suffer a succession of mishaps the other end.
WICKET! Wareham c Feroza b Rameen Shamim 5 (107-4)
On the juggle but Feroza holds on at point! What a fightback by Pakistan.
10th over: Australia 104-3 (Perry 48, Wareham 4)Two in the over for Nashra Sandhu and another duck for Australia!
Gardner c Diana Baig b Nashra Sandhu 0 (Pakistan 100-3)
An groggy old swipe from Gardner gives deep midwicket an easy catch!
WICKET! Voll c Iram Javed b Nashra Sandhu 40 (Australia 100-1)
The breakthrough! Voll pitchforks four straight to long on and Javed makes no mistake.
9th over: Australia 96-1 (Perry 48, Voll 36)Oh for a finger tip – Aliya leaps at long-on as Perry fires Shamim down the ground, but it just passes by for six. Voll adds to her boundary count with a strong-woman four.
8th over: Australia 81-1 (Perry 41, Voll 30) Lots of little girls in the ground bounce up and down happily with their four signs as Diana gets pasted for two four – Voll dusting her past the keeper, Perry with another powerful pull. Great fact from the radio – Diana is named after Princess Diana because her dad was a big fan.
7th over: Australia 71-1 (Perry 32, Voll 20) Shamim, the offspinner, bowling in a cap and specs. She dries her hands in the Leeds dust. Just seven from it as Australia pick out the fielders.
6th over: Australia 64-1 (Perry 32, Voll 20)Oh Sue, very strict with her legside wides, calls two in a row from Fatima. But apart from Voll’s wristy four to start the over, that’s the only boundary. The end of the power play is signalled with a flagon of orange squash – the most expensive power play of the competition.
But – that was the first time Australia lost a wicket with the first ball in a T20 World Cup.
5th over: Australia 56-1 (Perry 31, Voll 15)This is looking like a bit of shellacking already I’m afraid. Two more boundaries in the over – Voll goes legside, Perry off side. Sadia Iqbal trudges through the mire.
4th over: Australia 45-1 (Perry 26, Voll 10)Diana Baig now, short hair bouncing behind her. An outside edge from Perry flies fo four then more running for the Pakistan fielders as Perry pans another through midwicket. A third four from an athletic-looking ramp – no messing about with fripperies – and five wides to finish. Nineteen from the over.
3rd over: Australia 26-1 (Perry 12, Voll 10)Voll fancies this and pancakes Sadia down the ground for four. But that’s the only boundary from the over.
2nd over: Australia 19-1 (Perry 10, Voll 5)Fatima Sana with the next over. The second ball threatens to go for four wides, but that woman Feroza again stops it just before the rope. The third is square driven by Perry for four. And the next pulled upwards and wristily and gloriously for four more. Hmmm. Now Voll joins in, pinging Fatima down the ground. A nasty 17 from the over.
1st over: Australia 2-1 (Perry 1, Voll 1) Not the start anyone was expecting! Unbelievable worldie from Feroza off a Mooney outside edge.
WICKET! Mooney c Feroza b Sadia 0 (Austrlaia 0-1)
What a blinder from Feroza who clutches the egg almost before it has left the chicken, diving to her right at slip. Mooney out first ball of the match!
The cameras have found some fans now, mostly hiding in the shaded end Here come the players and the mascots. The Pakistan team, to a woman, place hand on heart. The Aussies link arms and look formidable
Two results already today – New Zealand knocked Scotland out of the competition, winning by six wickets with an over and a bit to spare at Bristol; while Sri Lanka thrashed Ireland by nine wickets thanks to an unbeaten century from Chamari Athapaththu to keep their hopes alive. If they can defeat Scotland on Friday and the other results fall their way, they’re through!
It’s hot, hot, hot at Headingley – 30 degrees at 6 o’clock and the stands look pretty empty – but it might be that people are hiding in the shade behind the until the action starts.
Pakistan XI
Pakistan: Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wk), Ayesha Zafar, Iram Javed, Saira Jabeen, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana (c), Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.
Fatima Sana announces two changes from the last match – Diana Baig and Rameen Shamim are in, Tuba Hassan and Tasmia Rubab benched.
Australia XI
Australia: Beth Mooney, (wk) Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (c), Alana King, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton.
An unchanged XI.
Australia win the toss and will bat
Sophie Molineaux says, “We hope to put a big total. We’ve tried to stay in the moment. We are unchanged today.”
Phoebe Litchfield is training well and nearly there.
Pakistan would have batted too.
The Aussies need to win two gamesto be sure of reaching the semi-finals, but one would probably be enough because of their tip-top run-rate -4.39. Pakistan are already done and dusted.
Preamble
Tanya Aldred
Hello, hope you’re somewhere near a fan or some shade on this broiling afternoon. This game should be a bit of a mismatch, between a green and gold juggernaut (three games, three wins) and a sage tabby cat (three games, three defeats). But upsets do happen and Pakistan will be keen to give the Aussies a bump on the nose. They’ll be tossing the official WC coin shortly.
